Historical Romance and Mystery

Folks, as we sunset this blog, updates will be sporadic. We encourage you to visit Constance Kent at her new shiny website and sign up for her newsletter to find out what's next.

For the moment, a historical romance series set in Maine in 1919 with a gripping family mystery at its core, is occupying her time. 

Book one in the four-book series is out: Ravenswood Hall: An Elegy for an Enemy

“Didn’t you hear the rumors before coming here?”

The Great War has ended and Spanish Flu is decimating the population. Ravenswood Hall remains isolated from the world, poised at the top of a hill on an island off the rocky coast of Maine.

It is to this house that Emmaline West has traveled, bent on revenge. She has been left lame from polio, lost her home and her family, and one man is to blame--Garrick Coleridge, her dead sister's fiancé. But instead of the heartless monster she is set on killing, she finds a man tormented by a secret that he risked his life on the battlefield to escape.

The pandemic worsens on the mainland, trapping Emmaline on the island. When a member of the household is murdered, suspicion falls on her. Plunged into the shadowy lives of the Coleridge clan, Emmaline is forced to seek Garrick's help to clear her name. 

But this murder is only the beginning. Like peeling back the layers of an onion, the secrets of Ravenswood Hall are revealed and no one is safe. Is it one killer or several? Emmaline and Garrick enter into an uneasy alliance to find out - and to stay alive.

Historical Mystery Pre-Order Sale!

“April is the cruellest month” in T.S. Eliot’s 1921 poem The Waste Land because, as spring brought signs of new life and renewal, Europe was in a crumbling, dying mess in the wake of World War I. And the poet wasn't doing much better.

Wow. What a time. I love history and boy, did I fall down a rabbit hole digging into this time period. 

An Elegy for an Enemy launches on April 11 at 3.99 but you can preorder your copy for only 0.99 before it reverts to full price.

PRE-ORDER An Elegy for an Enemy HERE

“Didn’t you hear the rumors before coming here?”

Emmaline West arrives at Ravenswood Hall feeling she has nothing left to live for. She's lame after a bout of polio; she's lost her home, her parents and now her beloved sister, Selena, is dead.

She holds one man responsible: Garrick Coleridge, her sister's fiancé. He may have survived the Front, but Emmaline is going to make sure that he doesn't survive her.

But Ravenswood Hall and Captain Coleridge are not what she expected. When a member of the household is murdered, Emmaline is plunged into the shadowy lives of the Coleridge clan. 

The murder is only the beginning. Like peeling back the layers of an onion, the secrets of Ravenswood Hall are revealed and no one is safe. Is it one killer or several? Emmaline enters into an uneasy alliance with Garrick to find out - and to stay alive.

Historical Fiction Freebies, Folks!

I know we are not supposed to be here anymore, but some of the older books have links to this blog. Just in case a reader happens to wander in, we might as well let her/him/they know about the cool Historical Fiction Freebies that are happening this March. And Smashwords is running Read an Ebook Week March 5 to March 11 and Constance Kent has a couple of titles enrolled for free download. So, lots going on!

Historical Fiction Freebies and History and Mystery are hosted by BookFunnel. Click the image to be taken to the page, browse the selections and take your pick. You will need to provide your email to subscribe to the author's newsletter and receive your book. You are free to unsubscribe later if you wish.

Page-turning Gothic Romance Sale

We are all in the mood for a twisted page-turning Victorian romance, are we not? When the world outside your door is falling apart, run a bath, light a scented candle and escape to a world where dark forces drive men and women to perform dark deeds. 

You'll feel better about the present world when you're through. 

We don't have scented candles on sale, but we can supply the Victorian romance novel. 

Windemere Hall is in a Kindle Countdown Deal for the deeply discounted price of $0.99 from November 10, 2022 to November 17, 2022. 

Pick up your Discounted copy HERE:

Windemere Hall

Wait a minute! Intense, twisty gothic romance is not your cup of tea? You prefer a lighter historical set in an innocent time (which for us pre-dates the Internet). We've got you covered.

Stress Relief 101: 

Close door. Run bath. Light scented candle. Dive into The Jilting for free from November 9, 2022 to November 12, 2022. 

Free on Amazon, this romcom is set in 1987 when romcom ruled the movie theatres. It's a frothy tale of a girl who secretly loves her best friend and when he doesn't return the feeling, she decides to marry a guy who does, and then that guy leaves her at the altar! Hijinks ensue. 

Pick up your Free copy HERE:

The Jilting

Both series are in Kindle Unlimited if you have that subscription service. Enjoy the reads and forget about the world for a few hours. It'll still be there when you get back.

Have a blessed November!

Free Historical Romance on Amazon!

 Thee I Do Wed is free on Amazon from Sept. 20 to Sept. 24!

Download your free copy HERE

 

Thee I Do Wed kicks off the Foundling Brides of Brooklyn novella series. Four warm, funny romances set in New York's Gilded Age in which four orphans find themselves in marriages of conveniences with New York society's most eligible bachelors.

From the back cover:

Lilly Gryce has been a thorn in the side of Brooklyn Foundling Home for seven years. So when wealthy Julius Thorley comes seeking a bride in name only to protect his assets from bankruptcy, Lilly is put forward as a candidate.

Julius wants a bride, yes, but the headstrong hellcat he is shown--though she is beautiful--won't pass muster in old New York society. Lilly is equally unimpressed by the pedigree of her future husband--though he is remarkably handsome. 

Julius makes her a deal. He will reunite Lilly with her long-lost parents if she can pass for a society debutante long enough to save the Thorley estate. 

Lilly will give anything to see her parents again. She did not expect the price would be her heart.

Amazon Prime Day Gothic Historical Romance Sale!

 We're excited. Tuck into your summer reading, folks. 

The first two books in Constance Kent's twisty (and twisted) psychological suspense romance series (Victorian Villains Saga) are on sale for Prime Day. 

👉 Windemere Hall (reg 3.99) is 0.99 from July 12 to July 14. 

👉 Mark of Caine (reg 3.99) is 0.99 from July 14 to 16. 

This is your chance to pick up two full length historical romance novels for less than the price of one! Click the link to be taken to the series page where you will find the books on sale.

Victorian Villains Saga Series Page on Amazon

Kobo readers, it's SALE time!

 

 

Windemere Hall is on sale now in Kobo UK, US, Canada and Australia stores for $1.99! (reg $3.99) Only until March 28th.

Windemere Hall on Kobo Canada

Windemere Hall on Kobo USA

Windemere Hall on Kobo Australia

Windemere Halll on Kobo United Kingdom

This twisty gothic suspense romance has a Happily Ever After and does not end on a cliff-hanger. The Victorian Villains Series continues with Mark of Caine, followed by The Master of Cliff House and Wracker's Cove. 

Cover Refresh and Read An Ebook Week March 6 - 12!

 

Hello lovely people!

We had no idea how much we liked seeing people until we couldn't see people by order of the Health Department.

It is snowing heavily outside our window and it's hard to believe spring will ever return - or normal life - or peace on Earth - but it will. In the meantime, we have books to read. 

Much of this month was spent pondering the direction of romance cover art and consequently, we took a bold move in redesigning the covers for Constance Kent's Victorian Villains Saga. They have a broody gothic vibe that is fresh and right for a contemporary readership. Check them out on the Victorian Villains page and please let us know what you think! 

We were influenced by some change-makers in the genre, Julia Quinn's covers being one, to take the leap away from the style of forty years ago and into the present. Every series got a refresh and we're pretty happy with the result. 

The other exciting event on the horizon is Read An Ebook Week on Smashwords from March 6 to March 12, 2022.

This incredible sale of ebooks in every genre and sub-genre imaginable attracts thousands of readers each year from all over the globe. 

Evelyn Ellis has enrolled Forbidden, Passion, Obsession and Cherry Pop into the sale. Get your copies for free using the coupon Smashwords provides at the checkout. 

Constance Kent has enrolled new titles this time around. Come, Let Me Hold You and Come Let Me Love You is contemporary New Adult romance. Click on the American Gothic Contemporary Romance tab in the header to learn more about this new series of standalone fiction. 

Two of the three titles in Miss Kent's new medieval erotic romance, Mortain and Bedwyr Novella Trilogy are enrolled. Hidden in the Shadows and Whispers in the Fog are free with a coupon. But you'll have to buy the third novella, Revealed in the Mist to see how it all works out. Hah! We're evil.

Hey, it's a BOGO plus one!  Buy One, Get Two Free.  

Bookmark this page to return on March 6 and conveniently claim your freebies: Links to Smashword's pages are here:

Forbidden, Passion, Obsession - Erotica

Cherry Pop - Erotica

Come, Let Me Love You - New Adult contemporary romance

Come, Let Me Hold You - New Adult contemporary romance

Hidden in the Shadows - Medieval Erotic Romance Novella

Whispers in the Fog - Medieval Erotic Romance Novella

See you there and happy reading!

Historical Gothic Romance FREE on Kobo!

Hey, Kobo readers, we have not forgotten you this Valentine's Day. Windemere Hall is currently FREE on Kobo from January 25 until February 15. 

Click the link below to be taken to the book's page and download your copy, exclusively for Kobo readers in this time period.

 WINDEMERE HALL: Victorian Gothic Romance

ABOUT THE BOOK:

Shy, stammering Clara Hamilton is shocked when her father announces her betrothal to a cousin she barely knows. Her uncle’s stepson, Branson Hamilton is handsome, avaricious and rumoured to be unstable. Nineteen-year-old Clara, anxious for her father’s approval, agrees to the union unaware of what is at stake. A sinister family secret surfaces and Clara soon discovers that the master of Windemere Hall has a dark revenge in store when she enters into his power.

ABOUT THE SERIES:

Windemere Hall launches Constance Kent’s Victorian Villains Saga. Set in 1867 England, four villainous men, cursed by their fathers, follow their legacy of greed, murder, lust and pride. Four young women who dare to love them, break with propriety to follow their hearts into dark and dangerous realms, risking all to have it all. The saga is steamy, written for a contemporary audience in the gothic tradition of romance and suspense. 

Gothic Romance like no other. 

Historical Romance Free for 10 Days on Google Play

That's right. You heard us. Windemere Hall is FREE on Google Play from January 13 to January 22nd.

Why? 

BECAUSE IT IS WINTER 2022 AND COVID IS STILL WITH US!

Sorry.

We're better now. 

It's winter. It's dodgy outside. Everyone needs a dark, challenging, twisty gothic romance.

To pick up your FREE copy on Google Play, click HERE

To all the lovely reviewers who left their comments on a previous edition of this book, thank you! New readers please be aware, Constance Kent is a pen name. Her original pen name was another author's real name and this caused confusion. She made the switch but the books are more or less the same inside. (Some were edited and for the better.)

Now run a hot bath, pour a glass of wine and immerse yourself in an intense and compelling historical romance. 

This Just In: Mark of Caine, the 2nd book in the series, is deeply discounted on Google Play. Get 50% off during the same period. Use the promo code generated for each customer to snag your deal. (Promo codes are limited so don't miss out.)

Smashwords Incredible Summer Winter Sale!

FREE on Smashwords from December 17, 2021 to Janunary 1, 2022. Click the link to be taken to our publisher page and scoop up your copies.

WRITEWOOD CREATIONS ON SMASHWORDS

Looking for more sizzle this holiday season? These Evelyn Ellis titles are available for FREE on Smashwords December 17, 2021 to January 1, 2022. Click the link below to be taken to our publisher page and scoop up your copies. 

WRITEWOOD CREATIONS ON SMASHWORDS

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

Talk Like a Pirate Day is Coming! Arrrrggh!

In celebration of International Talk Like a Pirate Day - Sunday, September 19, 2021 - Smashwords is hosting a sale of pirate-themed books and The Pirate Lord was selected to participate! Argh, blast ye maties, my face is red for blushing.

PIRATE DAY ON SMASHWORDS!

Who doesn't love a pirate? Especially a romantic, daring, amorous pirate who makes the mistake of underestimating the lady he thinks is his prisoner.... Hah! Foolish man. 

Click the link below and use the Coupon Code to pick up your FREE copy of The Pirate Lord during the promotion which runs Friday, September 17 to Tuesday, September 21, 2021. 

CODE: CZ83Q

THE PIRATE LORD ON SMASHWORDS

Happy Reading!

Erotic Medieval Romance available for Pre-order!

 Mortain and Bedwyr Book Two

Whispers in the Fog

Release Date: September 20,2021

Available for Pre-Order Now on Amazon

The shifter knight, Bedwyr, will risk everything to keep Isabelle Grey from harm, a passion that has tragic consequences for his alter ego, Sir Edryd Mortain. 

To protect his children, the noble knight drives his ward from the castle and from all hope of securing his love. At the home of Sir Hugo Blackwell, Isabelle tries to forget Mortain and his seductive darker self until Sir Hugo requests her assistance to open a mysterious casket from a dead monk. 

The monster that is released has an evil plan in mind for Isabelle, never realizing that Isabelle has a monster of her own.

Set in 1209 Wales, Whispers in the Fog is the second novella in a steamy trilogy about the noble Welsh knight, Sir Edryd Mortain and his alter ego, the depraved shifter Bedwyr, and their forbidden love for one girl. 

Whispers in the Fog

New Release! Erotic Medieval Romance in Kindle Unlimited!

 Hidden in the Shadows

She is forbidden. Chaste. The convent-raised daughter of his only friend and fellow knight, Isabelle Grey is also his ward. The nobility of his birth, the chilvaric code and his own tormented conscience constrains Sir Edryd Mortain from bedding her as much as the scarring on his face.

He cannot escape her. The girl has come of age and without a suitor, she must join Mortain's household. He is cold to her, repels her overtures of kinship, and watches her from the shadows. 

Unaware of the desire he harbors within, Isabelle wanders into her guardian's hidden apothecary one night after the household is abed. There she encounters the depraved shifter knight known as Bedwyr who reveals Mortain's secret. He has drank an elixir that has the power to overcome his conscience and deliver him his heart's desire. If Mortain cannot love Isabelle as a man, he will seduce her as a beast. 

Set in 1209 Wales, Hidden in the Shadows is the first novella in a steamy trilogy about the noble Welsh knight, Sir Edryd Mortain and his alter ego, the depraved shifter Bedwyr, and their forbidden love for one girl. 

PURCHASE OR BORROW IN KINDLE UNLIMITED

Look for Book Two: Whispers in the Fog - Due for release SEPTEMBER 20, 2021
Look for Book Three: Revealed in the Mist - Due for release OCTOBER 4, 2021

Sweet, Sizzling Freebie this August

 

Free on Amazon! August 11 - August 15. 

Three linked romances of passionate young love set in the Gilded Age. 

(Think Downton Abbey with naughty bits.)

CLICK THIS LINK TO DOWNLOAD YOUR FREE COPY!

Summer/Winter Sale on Smashwords!

Happy Summer, folks in the Northern Hemisphere and Happy Winter, folks in the Southern Hemisphere!

A HUGE free and deeply discounted sale is going on right now at Smashwords Online Bookstore from July 1, 2019 to July 31, 2019.

https://www.smashwords.com

Writewood Creations authors have some super reads enrolled in the promotion:

The Jilting by Catherine Lloyd is available for FREE!

And to launch Edwardian Lovers Trilogy - The Killer's Son is available for FREE!

Off Limits by Evelyn Ellis is available for FREE!

How to get your free book?

1. Click on the Smashwords link above

2. Search for the Catherine Lloyd title or the Evelyn Ellis title (or both--be greedy!)

3. Readers will receive the discount automatically by adding your book to their cart.

Once you're there, stay and shop around! Great titles in  many genres for next to nothing (or nothing!)

Enjoy the heat!

Edwardian Romance Novellas

Catherine Lloyd’s Edwardian Lovers Trilogy explores the intertwined fates of three families affected by a murder three years earlier. Set in a charming English village at the start of the “Gilded Age,” high society was controlled by strictly defined rules governing interaction between the sexes. Rules that are no match for three determined young lovers. Inspired by the hit television series, Downton Abbey, the trilogy contains warm love scenes written for a mature audience.

The Killer's Son  Find it on Amazon for Sale (0.99) or in Kindle Unlimited until February 2019

Disgraced Eden Mowbray arrives in Hertfordshire to spend the summer at her family’s country estate after exposing herself to gossip in London. As the son of a convicted killer, Wulfric Chaucer, her brother’s best friend, is even more of a social pariah. With everyone they know still in London for the Season, Wulf and Eden are thrown together and complicate matters even further by falling in love. With her parents strongly against a union with the son of a killer, Eden is faced with giving up a life of wealth and privilege, or giving up the love of her life.

 The Vicar's Son Find it on Amazon for Sale (0.99) or in Kindle Unlimited until February 2019

Toller Lawton has something Isolde Chaucer wants—a plan to get rich in the Yukon gold fields. The vicar’s son drinks too much, is rude and reckless but she’d put up with a lot to escape England and her family’s disgrace. However, Toller doesn’t agree his best friend’s sister is the sort of woman who can handle the wild lifestyle of the Klondike. She’s too prissy. She’d probably faint if she saw a man in his long underwear. When the vicar's reprobate son accidentally compromises Isolde’s reputation, she seizes the opportunity to convince Toller that she’s exactly the sort of woman who can handle wild men—beginning with him.

The Earl's Son Find it on Amazon for Sale (0.99) or in Kindle Unlimited until March 2019

Perdita Pollicott has few choices open to her in life when she arrives in Hertfordshire and meets the Earl’s son, Nash Mowbray. She’s going to marry a missionary and Nash Mowbray—well Mr. Mowbray can go to the very devil for all she cares. A sentiment they both agree on until Perdita is asked to read to the soldier who suffers from headaches since his return from the Boer War. Locked in with his private demons, Nash is shut down physically and emotionally until one night, caught in a lightning storm with Miss Pollicott, the Earl’s son crosses the line.

Fantasy Romance for Mother's Day

Historical Fantasy Romance at an Introductory Price for Moms!

Sale ends May 30th. Do not delay downloading your copy of The Maiden Bride for this limited time offer of only 0.99! (Reg retail price is 2.99 and Free to Read on Kindle Unlimited)

The Maiden Bride

Endicott heirs have always taken Stark maidens for their brides. 

A blood oath forged eight centuries ago promised Helen Stark to Lord Weathersky Endicott in marriage from the day she was born. A poor girl with few prospects, the sinister implications of the ancient alliance are lost on Helen. The nineteen-year-old orphan bride-to-be arrives at Cragmoore Castle eager to meet her betrothed, sensibly trading love for the security of an arranged marriage.

Weathersky has other ideas—and a secret power. The handsome and brilliant Endicott heir is a warlock who has mastery over everything but love. He craves unlocking its secrets but he never will if he enters into a loveless marriage. The warlock has been studying arcane texts, seeking to break the oath and escape his fate. 

But eight hundred years of supernatural rule is not easy to overthrow. Weathersky finds he is drawn to Miss Stark to the point of passion. Is what he feels when he is alone with the maiden bride love or mere magic? Their wedding is in three days and Helen becomes more desirable with each passing hour. The blood oath is calling to him....

〰

The Maiden Bride is the third title in Catherine Lloyd’s My Guilty Pleasure series, standalone historical romances of emotionally-charged forbidden love. The novel contains scenes, language and themes intended for a mature audience. 

Heat Level: Warm to Spicy 

〰

My Guilty Pleasure Series Titles

The Pirate Lord     The Dark Regent

Kindle eBook Sale for St. Patrick's Day!

We have our green on all this week!

And to celebrate, The Dark Regent is on sale March 15 to March 22 on Amazon.com for $0.99! (reg. price $2.99) This is a Kindle Countdown Deal that you won't want to miss.

A forbidden love more powerful than either of them.

Eighteen-year-old Fawn Heathcote resisted her uncle’s advances for as long as she dared. Captain Crispin Wolfe, the rakish half-brother of Fawn’s aunt, became obsessed with his niece-by-marriage from their first meeting. From the moment he moved into the London mansion, he’s had one aim in mind—to bed her. Night after night, the captain visits her bedchamber, in the hope of being admitted. Fawn has always refused. Until one night, Wolfe arrives to deliver a devastating message and she realizes only her tormentor can save her. Fawn’s resistance to Crispin’s seduction gradually breaks down under his protection and, caught in his web, she soon discovers a secret side to her captor.

The Dark Regent is the second title in Catherine Lloyd’s My Guilty Pleasure series, standalone historical romances of emotionally-charged dark forbidden love. The novel contains scenes, language and themes intended for a mature audience. Sensitive readers are strongly cautioned.

Smashwords 2017 Summer Sale Blowout

Cottage, beach, lake or mountain or even backyard pool--it is summer in the northern hemisphere and we don't know about you guys, but we're clocking off early. We don't have the time or money to go on vacation, so we're taking a staycation.  We're hitting the patio with a stack of ebooks, a pitcher of sangria (the friendliest way to consume cheap wine) and letting the stress melt away. Click on the link below to be taken to Smashwords Sale Page for Romance titles and shop till you drop!

July Summer/Winter Sale on Smashwords!

TONS of eBooks are deeply discounted or free on Smashwords throughout July. The selection is massive. Try out genres you've always been curious about but couldn't afford to indulge. Twenty bucks will buy you a lot of ebooks that are yours to keep.

Smashwords sells ebooks in all digital formats for ereaders of all stripes--even the older models are supported and the customer service is outstanding. 

Catherine Lloyd titles on sale:

(Click on the title to be taken to the sale page)

Grab Dark Redeemer Historical Romance Boxed Set Edition for $1.25 (reg $4.99)

Grab Mandrake Falls Four Seasons Romance Boxed Set Edition for $1.25 (reg $4.99)

N J Dorrian titles on sale: 

(Click on the title to be taken to the sale page)

Snap up Girl on a Wire for $1.50 (reg. $2.99)